Posts tagged Christmas

I absolutely love putting together gift boxes for people, and of course I love surprises myself, so a little while ago I suggested to Chrissie of +10 Kapow that we do a Christmas Swap, and luckily she was up for the idea! We decided on a budget of £20, and agreed to fill a shoebox with little gifts that we thought the other would like. I had a lot of fun searching for items to give to Chrissie, and after a few weeks of browsing, buying and wrapping, the box was ready to send. Our deadline for posting was 5th December, and last week we each received our box of goodies!

As both of us are impatient we decided to open and blog about our gifts before Christmas, so without further ado, here’s what I received!

As you can see, my swap from Chrissie came beautifully packaged. The box itself is stunning, and puts the cardboard one I sent her to shame! I’ll definitely be using it to store things in, probably rings or nail varnishes.

There were eight wrapped gifts in the box, including a jewellery box which I was really excited about. I hurriedly unwrapped everything, and was delighted with all that Chrissie sent. I must say she chose well! Here’s what I got…

The first gift is this Baked Merged Trio Eyeshadow from MUA, in shade ‘Emotions’. All three shades have a slight shimmer to them, and are impressively pigmented. The neutral tones are perfect for a daytime look, and I can see myself using these shades a lot for a work make up look, although with some dramatic eyeliner they could easily be dressed up.

My lips get very dry at this time of year, so finding this Nivea Lip Butter in the box was much appreciated! The lip butter feels lovely and nourishing, and smells amazing too, like vanilla and macadamia. This has now become a winter essential for me and comes everywhere with me.

I spotted this Body Shop Glazed Apple Body Butter when browsing The Body Shop website a few weeks, and was really intrigued by it, so as you can imagine I was pleased to find this in the box too! I use body butters on a daily basis and have done for years, so this was very well chosen, and is incredibly moisturising. The Glazed Apple scent is lovely too – fruity, but also sweet and creamy.

Yet another product that I’ve been wanting to try – MUA Luxe Velvet Lips! This shade is called ‘Serene’, and is a dark peach shade with a pink undertone. It’s very highly pigmented, has a creamy texture so applies beautifully, and is long-lasting. I like it, and aesthetically, I also like the frosted tube.

This awesome keyring is triple awesome – it’s Splinter from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, which I’ve loved since I was a kid, he’s a rat, and it’s lego! I’m going to hang this from my bag because I’m cool like that. Isn’t he fab?!

Chrissie made this galaxy necklace herself, and it’s my favourite item that she sent me. It’s really well made, and purple, pink and turquoise happen to be my favourite colours. I’ve been wearing it a lot since I got it, sometimes alone, but also layered with a couple of my other favourite necklaces, which I think looks great on a plain top.

Batman! A Batman ring! I’m sure it’s clear by now that I’m a big Batman fan, and this ring is absolutely fab. I really like how subtle it is, whilst also being super cool.

This pretty galaxy scarf has the same colour palette as the necklace Chrissie made, and is so soft and snuggly and warm. I’ve been wearing this lately to add a splash of colour to some of my darker winter outfits, and it seems to attract compliments!

Purple shades and holo effects are two of my favourite things to decorate my nails with, so this nail polish from Freckles Polish is perfect for me. The shade is called ‘I’ll Need Wine’, and is a rich purple colour, a bit like red wine, with a beautiful holo shimmer. Unfortunately I didn’t get any photos of me wearing it, but it applies nicely and is stunning on – fabulous for the festive season. Chrissie recently sent me some stamping plates too, so I plan on creating some looks soon using them and this polish, which I’ll be posting about soon.

I’m really happy with everything Chrissie sent me (thanks Chrissie!), and I hope we can do another swap one day! To see what I sent Chrissie in return, you can check out her post here.

Have you taken part in any Christmas swaps this year? If so, what did you send/receive? I’d love to see your posts about it!

Have you ever found an item of clothing that is just so perfect it could’ve been made with you in mind? Well for me, this t shirt is one of those items. I love rats, I love Batman, I love black clothing, so what better than a black ‘Rat Fan’, Batman-style t shirt?!

I bought this t shirt for £14.99 from an online store called ratsratsrats, which specialises in rat-themed clothing, accessories and gifts. I’ve ordered a couple of t shirts from them now and I’m always really impressed with the quality. The fabric is really soft and comfortable, the fit is great and the print is always high quality. I also like the length of ratsratsrats tees as they sit below the hip, which I prefer.

I teamed the t shirt with my favourite winter cardigan, and a pair of Blue Rags black embroidered trousers, which are so warm and comfy. They’re also patterned with a beautiful embroidery-style damask, which you can see clearer on the red pair I styled here. My Dr Martens Lauren Boots make an appearance too, of course.

This outfit is pretty much my go-to outfit for cosy, lazy weekend days, and is perfect for nipping out to the shops, or slouching around the house in.

Over the next couple of weeks I will be writing a series of posts as part of my annual Christmas Gift Guide, and today’s post will be the first in the series.

I always put a lot of thought into finding the right gift for everyone that I buy for, and I try to find something that’s a bit different to your bog standard gift set. There are several book lovers in my family, and this year on my hunt for unusual book-related gifts, I found something that is perfect for book lovers of any age. Though to be honest, this gift is so nostalgic and personal it’d be suitable for just about any of your loved ones…

The Book of Everyone is a 50 page book full of beautiful artwork, interesting statistics, and fun facts, that can be personalised to be about anyone and everyone! I was kindly sent a copy personalised to be about me, and every single page is gorgeous to look at, but also exciting and fascinating to read, as it all relates to my life. I feel like I learnt so much about my own history when reading the book, for example, in May 1989 I spent 30 minutes as a single cell, and in ‘my day’ a litre of petrol only cost 40p! I was also the 5,414,171,296th person alive on the planet when I was born. Amazing.

Creating the book is simple. It’s all done on The Book of Everyone website, and all you have to know about the person you’re creating for is their name, gender, and date of birth. The rest is done for you! Although you can change the text on some of the pages, add photos, and change the colour of the cover, just to make it that little bit more special and unique.

The book also suits any budget, as it’s available in four different formats. A digital PDF version costs £7.50, a softcover edition is £19.50, a standard hardback is £29.50, and a deluxe edition costs £49.50.

One of my favourite things about this gift is the fact that The Book of Everyone is collaborating with the charity Age UK, and every purchase from their site will go towards gifting a book to an elderly person this Christmas, who may not otherwise receive a gift. A lovely idea that I’m happy to get behind.

Books take just a few minutes to create, and are dispatched within 5 working days, so there’s still time to order before Christmas. Who would you buy The Book of Everyone for?

Naomi x

*The Book of Naomi was sent to me for review purposes. All opinions expressed are honest and my own.*

The festive season is just around the corner, and I’ve already been invited to a few Christmas parties and meals out. As such, I’ve started to do some online window shopping for the perfect party outfits for this season, and I’ve found that George at Asda have some really gorgeous women’s dresses in their Autumn/Winter collection. I’m a sucker for a classic LBD, and George have two in particular that I’ve been eyeing up. It’s been a while since I put together a wishlist type post, so I thought I’d do one to show you how I’d style these two dresses.

Outfit One features George’s Sequin V-Back Dress, which retails for an incredibly affordable £28. Sequins and a V-Back would both make a huge statement at a glitzy Christmas party, so this dress doesn’t need a huge amount of accessories. A simple structured clutch would be ideal to offset the sparkle, and a chunky chain necklace would add a bit more texture and depth. It’s not always easy to find a pair of shoes to go with sequins, but I quite like the look of a chunky heel with this kind of dress, hence why I chose a classic pair of Litas to go with it.

Outfit Two features George’s Peplum Bodycon Dress, which costs just £30. I absolutely adore this dress as it’s classic and feminine, but has a bit of an edge with its faux leather waist detail. To enhance the waist, I chose a pretty floral clutch by Irregular Choice which has a similar black on black look. An elegant pair of stilettos and a beaded necklace finish off this look, but I think it’d look just as stunning without the necklace.

I hope you all had a great Christmas and are looking forward to the New Year. My Christmas was spent at home with family, as is traditional, and was filled with lots of food and games!

I was very lucky this year and received a lot of lovely gifts, some that I’d asked for and some that were a complete surprise. I love being nosy and seeing what other people got for Christmas, so I thought I’d do a similar post and share my haul with you too!

With only three sleeps to go until Christmas Day, I’m sure we’ve all got our shopping pretty much done and dusted by now. But have you forgotten anyone? What about your pets? I always, always buy my pets a couple of little treats at Christmas, and this year I was kindly gifted a few bits and pieces by Pets at Home to give to my cats, Moo and Moth. Here’s what they received, and here’s what the cats think of them…

Moth always loves chasing anything dangly, so her favourite toy is the Reindeer Teaser, even if she’s too lazy to get up off the sofa to play with it! This toy seems quite robust so hopefully it will last a bit longer than their toys usually do, and at £3.00 it’s reasonably priced too.

The Door Hanging Santa Face is a firm favourite with Moo, although we aren’t too keen on having his claws near the wooden door, so we hold it up for him instead! This toy is quite large and has multiple, well made strands hanging from it that the cats love to attack, as you can see. This one costs a bit more at £6, but given its size and quality it’s well worth it.

The cats have had these Webbox treat sticks before and they always enjoy them. They even pull them out of the packet themselves if you open it for them first! I can’t find these on the Pets at Home website but I think they come in at £1 a pack, which if you don’t want to spend much is ideal.

When I first opened this Santa treat all hell broke loose! It’s catnip flavoured and the cats could smell it straight away, and were all over the packaging whilst I photographed it. When I gave it to them they pounced on it and had a nice little munch before I took it away from them. They can have more of that at a later date! These are £2.50 each and they’re a good size, and will last a while if you limit how much you give at a time. It’s such a good idea too, being able to give your pet a ‘chocolate’ santa at Christmas along with the rest of the family.

Pets at Home also have a fab Cat Christmas Stocking available for £5.00, which contains a few toy mice, balls and pom-poms, two packets of treats and a carton of cat milk, as well as other gifts for cats, dogs and small pets, to suit all budgets. So, if you still need to pick up some Christmas presents for your pets, Pets at Home is the place to go!

Naomi x

*These Pets at Home cat Christmas gifts were sent to me for review purposes. All opinions expressed are honest and my own.*

Whether you’re on a tight budget, or you’re able to flash the cash this Christmas, today’s festive post features a selection of ‘Spend or Save’ fashion and beauty gift ideas for women. The ‘Spend’ section includes a variety of luxury options for those who want to spend that little bit more on a loved one, and the ‘Save’ section includes some great alternatives that are just as good, but don’t cost the Earth.

I’ve been lusting after Alexander Wang’s Kirsten Bag for ages, but it’s really quite expensive and difficult to track down, so when I spotted the copy on Rings & Tings I just had to share it with you all! I don’t yet have either bag myself, but from photographs the copy looks pretty impressive.

I currently have both the Jurlique and the Bayliss & Harding rose shower gels in my bathroom, and they are equally lovely. The Jurlique one foams better, but each has a distinct sweet rose scent and luxurious packaging, making them both gift-worthy.

The Urban Decay Naked2 palette is perhaps one of the most highly sought after beauty products in the blogosphere, so would make an excellent gift for any beauty blogger. If it’s a bit out of your budget though, MUA’s Undress Me Too palette is the perfect dupe. I have it myself and the eyeshadows are all excellent quality, and at £4.00 you really can’t complain!

I’m new to serums, but have recently started to use the Lacura Multi Intensive Serum from Aldi. It’s aimed at women aged 25-35, so I’m almost in that age bracket, and it makes your skin feel so soft and plump. It’s lovely, and an absolute steal, but if you want to gift a more classic brand then No.7 is the way to go.

When I first put this guide together, Ciaté’s Tree Trinkets were £30 for the set, but they have now been reduced to £21 which is actually a pretty good deal, especially if you want to split the set up as smaller gifts. If you want more for your money however, M&S’s beauty bauble contains a nail polish and two miniature lip glosses for £5. I also spotted a Primark equivalent earlier this week, costing £2 for a bauble containing 3 little lip glosses, which is even better value for money!

I absolutely adore Dr Martens and am building up quite a collection. They last forever and, once they’ve been broken in, are incredibly comfortable. But if you’re looking for a cheaper version for your fashion-loving friend this Christmas, H&M’s burgundy boots look fab.

This year seems to have gone incredibly fast, and Christmas is almost upon us. I’m sure by now we are all well into our Christmas shopping (I’ve been extremely organised this year and only have a couple of bits left to get!), but I thought I’d put together a few festive themed posts over the next week or two to help with that last-minute rush. I have spent a while lately trawling the shops and internet for stocking filler ideas, so today’s post features my pick of the best beauty stocking fillers for £5 and under.

If you’d like to follow me on Instagram and see more of my photos, my username is bewitchery_. Please comment on this post with your usernames too as I’m always looking for new accounts to follow, especially fashion and beauty ones!

As promised (although a few days later than expected) I have a new giveaway for you all! Seeing as party season is coming up, I thought it’d be nice to offer one lucky reader a brand new dress from AngelEye, which would be perfect for any Christmas or New Year parties you may have on the horizon. The dress is absolutely gorgeous – red and navy with a bodycon fit, knee length, and an exposed zip at the back that runs from top to bottom. It’d look amazing with a pair of killer heels and a clutch bag – you really would be the belle of the ball! The dress is a size small, which would best fit a size 8-10 I’d imagine, possibly a small 12.

To enter, all you have to do is complete as many of the tasks as you want/can on the Rafflecopter form below (the first two are mandatory). The competition will run for three weeks and will end at midnight (GMT) on 11th December. The giveaway is open WORLDWIDE and all entries will be checked. The winner will be chosen at random and announced the next day, and contacted via email, and will be given 48 hours to respond with their postal address. If no reply is received within this time, another winner will be chosen. Good luck!a Rafflecopter giveaway